 With all the priests in the rectory and on behalf of the Sisters in the convent and our Parish Staff, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter! This winter has been a tough one with the unremitting cold and days and days of darkened skies. Perhaps a winter of darkness and cold is just what we need to really celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord at Eastertime. The fact is, Spring is coming! (It really is!) New life will be all around us in nature. After the seeming death of the natural world, the next few months will remind us that winter does indeed turn to spring and summer! The natural world reminds us that even in the darkness and cold of death, things are not what they seem. Deep down there is new life! How true that is in our own lives as Christians. When everything seems dark and dead, Christ enters our lives as Light and Life! Even when at the end of life in this world we die, our faith reminds us that we will live forever. Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, wants nothing more than to dispel the darkness in this life and to bring us to new life in the world to come. Easter reminds us of this truth. May we never forget it! May you experience the Risen Lord in your life and may you, at the moment of your death, see the Risen Lord face to face! Again, Happy Easter!
Father Al
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  MARCH 27th: 8:00 pm - Tenebrae MARCH 29th: Holy Thursday 8 am - Morning Prayer 7 pm - Mass of the Lord’s Supper *Confessions following Adoration until 10:00 pm (Gym) MARCH 30th: Good Friday 8 am - Morning Prayer Noon - Midday Prayer 1 pm - Outdoor Stations 2 pm - Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion 7 pm - Stations of the Cross MARCH 31st: Holy Saturday 8 am - Morning Prayer *Confessions following 10 am - Blessing of Easter Food 8 pm - Easter Vigil Mass   With the celebration of Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we enter into the great events of Holy Week. The Church, of course, recalls the historical events surrounding the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord this coming week but it is much more than a remembrance of things past. It is walking with the Lord in our individual lives, and entering into the Paschal Mystery on a much deeper level than just in our memories. When we were baptized, we were baptized into the death of Christ and rose with him to new life. In a very real way, our lives as Christians is a participation in the Paschal Mystery. The liturgies of Holy Week remind us of our dying and rising with Christ in our everyday lives. It makes us question things like: How do I deal with suffering in my life? How do I carry my cross? What do I do when I am abandoned or betrayed or denied? How do I face my impending death? Jesus Christ is our role model in how we are called to live our lives. We are called to be servants to others; to make a sacrificial gift of our lives; to commend our complete selves into the loving arms of our Father in heaven. Let us walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary and may we rise with him in glory when our days on this earth are ended. In a powerful way, how we experience Holy Week will give us the grace to live out the Paschal Mystery each day of the year! Make good use of the week ahead!
Father Al  The Diocese of Harrisburg is once again working with Hersheypark® to offer tickets at a substantial discount to parishioners and their families. If you would like to order tickets for the 2018 summer season (valid any public operating day), complete and submit the order form below, along with full payment, to the parish office. Please do not place orders in the collection basket. LIMITED TIME OFFER ENDS on Monday, April 23, 2018. Note: Tickets are valid any public day during the regular 2018 season. Our parish will receive all tickets by Friday, May 25th. Take advantage of these early bird savings, NOW! Download the 2018 Order Form here Discount Pricing Guide  New This Year! Two all-new attractions, Breakers Edge Water Coaster and Whitecap Racer, are coming to The Boardwalk At Hersheypark® Memorial Day Weekend 2018! Watch the video here!   Information about our parish's Inclement Weather Policy & the Diocesan statement on "Severe Weather & Mass Obligations" can be found on our parish website. Use the Parish drop down menu and select "Severe Weather Info".  Here below are three Acts of Contrition to be used in our daily prayer or during confession.
What matters most is not the words we say but the sorrow we have in our hearts! O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner! Cut this out and tuck it into your wallet! This is a beautiful prayer we should all know! Father Al *A printable version of these Acts of Contrition can be found here  Please be advised that our Online Giving Program will be temporarily unavailable on Tuesday, March 13 starting at 2:00 AM due to maintenance updates. This planned outage is anticipated to take up to 7 hours to perform and should be back online by Tuesday, March 13 at 9:00 AM.
During this maintenance window, please be aware that you will not be able to log into or access our Online Giving Program. We apologize for the inconvenience and greatly appreciate your patience. Many blessings to you!  Our Lenten Parish Penance Service will be celebrated next Sunday night, March 18, at 7:00 pm. Lent is a time for us to acknowledge our sins and to turn back to the Lord. For us Catholics, we are privileged to have this wonderful Sacrament of Reconciliation. For those who go frequently, you understand what a grace this Sacrament truly is. For those who have not been there for a while, may you return to this beautiful Sacrament without fear or trepidation. You are meeting the merciful Lord in confession and he is always “slow to anger and rich in compassion.” It is good to make an examination of conscience before you go in to confess your sins. The priest will help you if it has been a long time. Tell the priest how long it has been since your last confession and confess your sins. Give an idea of how many times you have committed your sins. It also helps if you tell the priest what your state in life is (single, married, widowed, religious, etc.) Listen carefully to the priest’s advice and the penance he gives you. Make an Act of Contrition (the one you learned as a child is fine or you can pray it from the heart). Hear the words of absolution and truly believe that your sins are forgiven. Make use of this Sacrament as often as you can (and you need!) You will not regret it!
Father Al P.S. I am happy to share that a name has been selected for the meeting space in the old parish offices and Meeting Room C. This space will now be known as the “Holy Family Center”.  Rally in Harrisburg Monday, March 12 (Capitol Rotunda, 2:30pm) - New legislation (House Bill 2050, Senate Bill 1050) would improve Pennsylvania by prohibiting by law an abortion of any child solely due to a diagnosis of possible Down syndrome. The lead sponsors of this legislative effort - Speaker of the House Mike Turzai, State Representative Judy Ward and State Senator Scott Martin - are formally announcing this legislation at a rally in the State Capitol Rotunda on Monday, March 12th. Opponents are already mobilizing against this common sense legislation - all the more reason why we want to fill the Rotunda with people like who in support of this effort. Questions? Contact PA Family Council at 717-545-0600.
To support this legislation online go to: pacatholic.org  Bulletin sponsorships are essential to our parish's communication efforts. The weekly bulletin is the primary source of communication our parish has to get information to parishioners on a regular basis. The cost of producing a publication like this each week would be a financial hardship if it wasn't for our bulletin sponsorship program. We are so very grateful for the generosity of our bulletin sponsors! If you would like more information about becoming a bulletin sponsor for St. Joan of Arc Church, please contact Mike Jurosky at (717) 648-5996 or email: mjurosky@Diocesan.com |
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